Tia Kofi has launched her bid for pop superstardom with her infectious electro anthem Outside In.
Written by BRIT-nominee Little Boots, as well as Tom Aspaul and his Black Country Disco collaborator Gil Lewis, the entertainer’s debut single is a triumphant pop number about looking “beyond the surface”.
Tia, who recently won the hearts of viewers around the world thanks to her stint on Drag Race UK, tells GAY TIMES that she didn’t think a career as a recording artist was a possibility until she found her calling as a drag queen.
“It unleashes the things you’ve always wanted to do. My drag has always been about that pop princess energy and living that life, because it’s something you don’t think you’ll have access to,” she explains.
“That’s the great thing about this platform, that I now have the opportunity to write, record, make a music video and sing the songs I’ve always wanted to.”
As a fan of both Little Boots and Aspaul – the former’s top ten single Remedy is a staple in her live shows – Tia says: “When this song came forth I was like, ‘This is gold. This has to happen.’ It felt like the right moment and the right thing to do.”
According to the star, the lyrics also reflect her “personal experiences” on Drag Race UK, where she won praise from the judges and her fellow contestants for her talent, but faced constant scrutiny for her aesthetic.
“There’s one thing that Veronica [Greem] actually said on a previous episode where she was like, ‘You’re only looking at the surface of a person, look a little deeper,’ and that’s what the song is getting at,” she says.
“There’s a lot of superficiality and people just see the exterior, but we should all be looking deeper. Everyone’s tweeting hilarious things and posting a lovely selfie on Instagram, but the struggle is real at the moment for everyone.
“That’s one of the key lyrics, “You’re looking from the outside in,” rather than paying attention to what’s actually happening on the inside. You know that feeling when someone’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m doing fine,’ but, ‘You’re not, are you?'”
Admitting that she takes her passion for music and recording “quite seriously”, Tia reveals that Outside In will be part of a larger collection of tracks.
“So it won’t be the only thing – in fact, it might be the first in a few things,” she laughs. “And by ‘things’, I mean… songs.”
Outside In is now available on iTunes and all streaming platforms – listen here on Apple Music and Spotify. The single will also be supported by a music video, which will sashay onto our screens later this month.
Sadly, Tia reveals that she will not be paying homage to her Don’t Leave Me This Way lip-sync against Joe Black in the visual. “I can tell you that there will not be a roly-poly in an ice cream costume,” she confirms. “That’s one fact about the video.”
You’re in for a treat, because we have an exclusive first look at the video (!).
Watch Tia serve looks and body-ody-ody in the Outside In preview below.
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